There’s been a minor battle in the race to create the ultimate in rugged phones recently and Motorola has added armour to the already sturdy Defy +. In partnership with JCB, the phone is aimed squarely at those in the construction or building industry, like the recent Samsung Solid Immerse.

Where the Defy + JCB edition differs from traditional ruggedised phones is in the functions it offers. Typically, there’s little more than call or messaging functions added to tough phones but the Defy + JCB Edition has all the features of the Defy + and a few extras.

On top of the hard case and 3.7 inch Gorilla Glass screen, JCB has provided custom apps such as a spirit level, decibel meter and recorder, torch, unit converter, calculator and a DIY store locator for when you need to nip to B&Q. Motorola has also made sure that the phone can double as a traditional walkie-talkie with a Push-to-talk button and messaging functions – both features use a traditional phone network but ultimately save workers the hassle of carrying a smartphone and chunky walkie-talkie at the same time.

Are you a plumber, decorator or builder who has suffered a cracked iPhone screen or damp BlackBerry? This could be the phone you’ve been waiting for…or maybe it’s the Samsung Solid Immerse – read the What Mobile Samsung Solid Immerse review.

The Motorola Defy + JCB Edition is on sale now, priced £259 on PAYG.

MOTOROLA DEFY + JCB EDITION SPECIFICATION

• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• 1 GHz processor
• Water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof
• Corning  Gorilla  Glass
• 3.7-inch high-resolution touch screen display
• Motorola Media Link
• Adobe Flash Player 10
• 5MP camera with auto focus, flash and digital zoom
• 2GB internal; 2GB microSD card in box, expandable up to 32GB
•  7.1 hours of talk time and 16 days in standby